SAN FRANCISCO -- Vikings co-owner and president Mark Wilf is confident the team's new stadium project will be completed in time for the 2016 season despite stalled lease negotiations with the state authority that is auditing the club's owners.

Wilf declined to comment on the financial due diligence investigation the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority ordered after a New Jersey judge ruled the team's owners had defrauded former business partners in a real estate deal.

But Wilf said Sunday night before the Vikings' preseason game against the 49ers at Candlestick Park that the family's legal troubles would not impact the Vikings' $477 million commitment to the $975 million stadium, adding that the team expects groundbreaking to start on time in November.

"We see no reason why we're not going to be able to move forward," Wilf said. "We're excited about the project and working hard to make the stadium something fans can be excited about."

Judge Deanne Wilson of Morristown, N.J., is expected to rule early next month how much Vikings principal owner Zygi Wilf, his brother Mark and cousin, Leonard, will have to pay in damages to their former partners, who are seeking more than $100 million.

The authority is examining the Wilfs' personal and business fortunes to determine whether they have the financial security to withstand the judgment and support the stadium deal. Peter Carter, the Minneapolis lawyer leading the audit, said last week the Wilfs had refused to cooperate with investigators despite assurances by the team that they would.

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"I'd rather not get into the details of that at this point," Mark Wilf said. "We're very confident that things are going to go great with the stadium. We look forward to ground breaking and getting this thing up from the ground and get it rolling."

The stadium authority said last week that the team had broken off negotiations on lease and construction contracts -- agreements which need to be signed by Sept. 15 to avoid construction delays.